METTLER TOLEDO has launched a new on-demand webinar entitled “Real Time Monitoring of Polymerization Processes.” This free presentation highlights how Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy helps Professor Tim Long and his Virginia Tech-based team gain a more complete understanding of critical polymerization processes as they occur in situ. Over the years, this insight has helped them create new complex polymers with highly desirable properties, and it has also helped them more accurately perform polymerizations so resulting materials exhibit desired characteristics in fewer experiments.

In situ spectroscopy, along with descriptive three-dimensional waterfall plots enabled by the real-time data it produces, helps researchers view monomer absorbance as it occurs so they can determine reactivity ratios and draw confident structure-property relationships with greater ease. “It’s really an ideal tool to determine chain-growth polymerization kinetics for carbon-carbon double-bond monomer consumption, and activation energy for emerging monomers in a thermal polymerization process,” Professor Long noted. “In situ infrared is absolutely key for us.”

FTIR’s helpful role is demonstrated through a review of a series of complex polymerization reaction types, including chain growth, chain growth addition, and nucleophile addition. The technology’s ability to permit determination of half-life during peroxide decomposition and monitor urethane formation is also reviewed—as is its ability to help researchers reach conclusions in significantly less time than they can with offline sampling, while also limiting their exposure to potentially toxic substances.

For more on the experiments, as well as how real-time understanding of polymerization reaction parameters can result in improved polymer properties and performance, view the free webinar